How to make great photos on vacation and do not zaspamit social networks
Nowadays, photographing and broadcasting images in one click - one of the most accessible ways to understand yourself and reality. You can, of course, click everything around in the traditions of automatic writing, and you can approach the question structurally: both methods are good in their own way. For those who choose the second, we have collected some valuable recommendations based on the advice of professionals: we tell you how to photograph a landmark, food, and portraits to please not only ourselves, but also friends and subscribers in instagram. These tips are especially appropriate for those who go on vacation: we all know what ambiguous feelings cause uninterrupted reports from Sri Lanka or from Gothenburg, even from the closest people.
How to shoot landscapes
Old but useful advice says that before shooting a landscape, you need to consider where the horizon should be compositionally. Most landscapes are divided into two types: where the sky or the foreground dominates - that is, what is under it. If the sky looks dull, place the horizon in the upper third of your frame. However, if there are interesting cloud formations in the sky and in general it looks dramatic, the horizon should be taken lower.
Look for graphic lines in landscapes - these are very powerful elements that add to the dynamism of photography. Horizontal, vertical, diagonal - they give the depth of the image, the scale and draw patterns that fascinate the viewer. As photographer Darren Rose rightly notes, “one of the questions you have to ask yourself when shooting a landscape is“ how will I control the eyes of those who will look at this photo? ”. The best way to do this is to provide viewers with lines that you can find in landscapes. "
Most people photograph landscapes in a calm and passive environment. Try to capture the landscape in motion during your coming vacation: trees swaying in the wind, waves on the beach, waterfalls, birds flying overhead, moving clouds. So you give the frame the right mood and drama. Capturing motion in a photograph usually means that you have to use a longer shutter speed (up to 3-4 seconds).
On your vacation, you are very likely to encounter many exciting species. To remember them as they appear before your eyes, try to take panoramic pictures. Many smartphones already have this functionality, but if you don’t have it, you will find many worthy applications in the App Store and Google Play.
The landscape can vary significantly depending on the weather. As a result, choosing the right time for a frame is important. Many novice photographers believe that a sunny, sunny day is the best time to shoot. But an overcast day can provide much more opportunities for creating a lively image in gloomy overtones. Look for a strong wind, fog, dramatic clouds, the rays of the sun peeking through the dark sky, rainbows. Work with changing weather, and do not wait until the sky is clear and blue
Photographer Vanya Anisimov reminds that the best light is in the morning, before and during sunset: “The rest of the time is a deadly contrast. It will be lucky if there is a fog or a thunderstorm with beautiful clouds, but it is also important to use a natural phenomenon here, for example, for architecture or portrait on the background. " Photographing a landscape at dawn and at dusk almost always guarantees the best result. In these golden landscapes for photographers clocks literally come alive. First, at this time the sunlight has a pleasant yellowish tint. Secondly, the angle of his fall draws interesting textures, volumes and patterns in landscapes.
How to shoot sights
Most amateur photographers want their photos to resemble postcards from a gift shop. Everyone is trying to capture the Tower of Pisa or the Egyptian pyramids in all its glory. After all, these sights are one of the reasons why these places were chosen as a destination. It is probably impossible to leave Paris without a photo of the Eiffel Tower. But try to remove it from different angles, make several close-ups of metal beams, rivets and patterns. Be creative and try to tell a story. Then you can make a nice collage from photos of individual architectural details.
"In the photos from the holidays, it is important to convey your feelings from those places where you visited. That is, as you saw it with your own eyes, let them somewhere not quite sharp and with a curved composition. Arranged shots, as a rule, look boring," - says Vanya Anisimov. Even if you can not resist the mansion of the XVIII century, he advises to wait until some Korean tourist passes through the foreground and adds life to the frame, turning the scenery into a little story. "The entire photo report from the holiday should tell the viewer the story, with its mood and rhythm. In addition to some general plans, you need, of course, not to forget about the details, some even very large, so that the texture of bricks, fabrics, etc. can be seen It looks like a jam for the winter, then you open the jar, and then summer. "
Think about your last vacation - what has sunk into your soul the most? It is unlikely that this was another Gothic cathedral or a bronze monument. Most likely, it was colorful markets, fresh pastries in the bakery, local residents, street vendors and musicians, ornate streets and gateways - all this conveys the spirit of the city. Going on a trip, try to get rid of the postcard cliches and create your own iconic pictures that convey exactly your history and memories.
Photographer Valerie Jardin recommends choosing one or two themes for each day of vacation, for example, interesting architectural details in Rome: “It will help you focus and you will not feel overwhelmed, trying to capture everything at once in one day. But do not hesitate to change your theme. If you find something more interesting. After all, this is your trip! Photograph various inscriptions. The names and prices of vegetables and fruits on the farmers market, written in the local language, painted signs of shops, newsstands with local and newspapers, even city road signs — all of which give images a vivid sense of being in that place. "
How to photograph people
Your photo report from the trip will lose a lot if you don’t manage to catch a shot of local residents buying a newspaper, choosing flowers in the market, drinking coffee in a cafe and walking dogs. Just choose a place and wait a little - something interesting will surely happen, and a whole story will unfold before you that you can capture and take home with you.
Following the advice of experienced photographers, try to make a photo essay of several frames. Start with a broad plan with a view of the antique market, for example. Then remove a few close-ups of items for sale, paying customers, laughing children, old people smoking a pipe. These photos will make your photo album more memorable.
Photographer Liza Zhitskaya notes that it’s not at all necessary to photograph only those who you think are beautiful or unusual. The frame will look no less spectacular, if you can effectively shoot something at first glance, an ordinary and unremarkable. Of course, not a single vacation can do without a traditional group photo on the background of attractions, which can also be done extraordinarily. But it's good when, in addition to this, live, unique plots will remain in your photo album - for example, buddies chewing gyros from local fast food or playing beach volleyball. These shots you are much more likely to review in the future.
What if the fate of photographing on vacation fell to you, but you also want to get on the photograph? Give everyone a camera, even the simplest one - disposable. You will be surprised at how many really great pictures you have. If children go along with you to relax, all the better, they can make especially interesting photos. Also do not hesitate to ask someone to take a picture of you.
So do professional photographers, for whom the question is particularly acute. “Many times I came back from a trip and understood that there were simply no pictures with me, as if I wasn’t there. So now I ask you to take pictures. Before giving the camera, make sure that the correct settings are set on it, so that everyone can just press the shutter button, "- shares her life hacking Lisa Mostley. She advises to first set up a frame for someone, and then give the person a camera.
How to photograph food
The practice of photographing food is not so complicated and not such a shameful thing as is commonly believed. Food is not only tasty, but also beautiful: the main thing is to get a place in a restaurant by the window. The dishes look appetizing only with natural light, and the flash can present any culinary masterpiece as inedible.
Jamie Heimbuch recommends that you take not only static shots of plates with an untouched dish that have already become cliché: "Dilute your images with food, showing its cooking and serving. By adding an action to the frame, you will make it more dynamic. This will make viewers feel that they are with you. Scoop a spoonful of your dish, break the bread and place it next to it - these small details will make the viewer feel that they are sitting and enjoying the food with you. Your photos should not look like a statement Still-screw, just served a chef. "
How to collect huskies and not annoy anyone
And finally, the important thing: how to convey your pictures to as large an audience as possible and not cause irritation with the flow of even the most beautiful pictures? First, use hashtags, but in moderation. They allow you to categorize photos by keywords. If you are traveling in a big company, create your own unique hashtag to collect the best shots of all the participants at the end of your trip.
Take responsibility for managing your instagram in a responsible manner, as a curator collecting a collection for a photo gallery whose purpose is to display only the best. Post only correct photos. Assertive laying out everything in a row - empty bottles, beach slippers, clouds - a dubious idea. Never post two or more identical or similar photos in a row.
Lena Tsibizova reminds that the basic rule is very simple: “In instagram, you just need to know when to stop and be able to choose what you like best. Previously, I posted albums in a social network, now I post a couple of photos. It depends on what kind of trip. Sometimes I drive take off purposely, sometimes rest. "
According to the survey, users are 38% more likely to like and 32% more likely to comment on photos with people's faces. "We are naturally attracted to people," said researcher Saide Bakhshi of the University of Georgia, "we are social animals and want to see other people. It is rooted in us at a very early age when children are looking for the support of their parents." Before you post another landscape on instagram, think about it.
Do not forget to make captions under the photo: do not hide your sparkling sense of humor from everyone, and do not forget about the information content. Huskies also collect touching and sincere messages. Something very personal, revealing your reverse side, always brings excellent feedback in social networks.
Valery Belobeev maintains that less is better and better: “One photo with a wow effect is always better than ten walk-throughs. My instagram is more like a locale scout collection, although I sometimes try to dilute it with pictures of concerts or people. By the way, , I take pictures less often and usually try to make a photo unnoticed. " If you want to make a portrait of a stranger and your hero is not against it - come closer, feel free to say: "The smile on your face has never let anyone down. And in Asia, for example, people start to pose when they see that they are being shot."
As for selfies from vacation, the same rules as with regular selfies work here. You can turn your instagram into an art project, where there will only be pictures of your face against the sights, but then you really have to go all the way and cosplay the garden gnome from Amelie. But if an extremely conceptual photo report from holidays, where there will be, for example, only bushes or the sea, is not your goal, then try to observe the balance of all the above-mentioned genres.
How to sort and store photos from vacation?
Imagine that you have already come from vacation, and after unpacking the suitcases, you should attend to their organization. Many professionals advise starting with developing your own folder name system. For example, with such designations: "2014-05-29-Berlin-Walk", which will allow to sort photos in chronological and alphabetical order.
There are many programs for organizing photos. Experts advise Adobe Lightroom, but it has many free alternatives (Picasa, Zoner Photo Studio, JetPhoto Studio) that may not be as flexible to use. iPhones and iPads have decent default photo storage functionality, but the built-in Mac applications have rather poor capabilities. One of the most popular programs is Photo Manager Pro, compatible with mobile devices, it allows you to conveniently organize your shots. It’s risky to keep the entire photo archive in the computer’s memory, so it’s better to get an external hard drive or an account in the “cloud” service.
We all want to keep and take with us the beauty that we observe during the holidays. Collecting this herbarium, throughout the rest we do not let go of the smartphone and digital camera, and sometimes we can not admire the sunset just like that, without sharing our experience through a picture in Instagram. Photographing gives us the false sense that we can always return to the very feeling that was. But in reality, too abusing the click of the camera shutter, we only risk missing something more important - to feel what is happening, to fully enjoy every moment, without being distracted by choosing the right filter or exposure parameters. Still, a person is an adept of visual culture, so images play a big role in how we think and communicate. Photographing is necessary - but you should not kill the entire vacation just for that.
The material was first published on the site Look At Me
Photo: 1, 2, 3 via Shutterstock, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 via Flickr